You awaken to warm limbs wrapped around you, hugging you tightly from behind, and warm breaths tickling the back of your neck.
Mami's bed is a
lot more comfortable than that mattress on the floor, you have to admit. You wiggle a little, trying to free yourself, but Mami murmurs something indistinct and nestles tighter against your back. You can feel her wavy hair brush against the back of your head as she tucks herself in.
... Well, at least she didn't steal the blanket overnight.
Your arm's trapped by
Mami's arm. You try to move it, but she's wrapped around you tightly like a four limbed octopus.
You chuff out a breath. Could be worse things to wake up to, you suppose. You're... well, you don't really want to slide into self recrimination again, but you
do wish that Mami weren't so, so
dependent on you. It's better for her than her loneliness, her dependence on Kyuubey.
That's something you can hold to yourself. And hold to
helping Mami. Helping
everyone.
And hey. Mami was
genuinely happy yesterday. That counts for something.
You huff out a breath, blinking up at the wall in front of you, illuminated by the faint streetlights shining in through the window, casting their dappled patterns. Plans, plans, plans for today. Breakfast, annoy Sayaka by being too cheerful, ask about the healing, check in with Ono... Visiting warehouse-kun.
You chuckle quietly to yourself.
"Mmm," Mami mumbles, her grip on you shifting. "Mm- Sabrina?" You can feel her freeze for a moment, her breath hitching for a moment. "Sabrina?" she asks, arms loosening for a moment.
"Good morning, Mami," you say, turning over and giving her a smile.
"Good morning, Sabrina," she breathes, golden eyes wide and very awake.
You blow a puff of air at her face, smiling, and she flinches back, giggling. "
Good morning, Mami," you say, sitting up and rubbing at your eyes. "Did you sleep well?"
Mami sits up beside you, yawning widely. "I did," she agrees.
"Good," you say emphatically, sliding your feet off the bed. "Would you like to use the washroom first?"
"Um, OK," Mami says, slipping off the far side of the bed. She pads over to the door, casting a look backwards at you.
You smile at her, and follow her to the living room. "I'll be here, Mami," you say.
Mami smiles, pausing at the bathroom door. "OK. M-maybe..." she trails off, smile faltering for a second. She shakes her head. "You'll be here?" she asks again.
"Yes, I will," you say firmly.
"Alright," Mami says, and closes the door behind her.
She takes longer, today. When she pulls the door open, it's with no less alacrity than she usually does, but her eyes are warm when she finds you, leaning against the wall. "I... I'll get breakfast started, Sabrina?" she asks, voice tentative.
You smile warmly at her. "Sure."
You don't take too long to clean up. When you walk into the kitchen bare minutes later, you find Mami fussing with the ricecooker. She looks up, tension easing from her shoulders and a relieved smile spreading across her face when she sees you.
"Hey, Mami," you say, moving to peer over her shoulder. Beyond the rice, she's got the frying pan and the big mixing bowl out, so... "Pancakes?" you guess.
"Mmmhm!" Mami confirms.
"Right, then," you say, reaching for the flour.
Amiable jockeying for the cooking utensils and the sizzle of batter fills the air, breakfast shaping itself quickly in the form of a small pile of pancakes, and lunch packed neatly into two lunchboxes. You eventually find yourself sitting across from Mami, the savoury smell of the pancakes wafting into the air.
Mami smiles at you across the table as you begin to dig in. "Shall we check in with our friends?" she asks as she slices her pancake into neat little squares.
"I was just thinking that," you say, pouring syrup over your own pancake. "
Gooooooood morning everybody!" You reach out telepathically for your friends - Mami, Madoka, Sayaka, and Homura. You'd include Hitomi, you suppose, but you can't.
And, well, you suppose Oriko and Kirika are your friends. Sort of? Kirika is, anyway. Bestbuddy. Bestpuppy? She kind of
is about as cheerful and eager and energetic as one... a mental image of Kirika as a puppy, being enthusiastically patted by her oujo crosses your mind.
Mami giggles.
Sayaka's the first to respond, with a long, drawn out moan. "
How are you so cheerful. How."
"
Good genes," you say flippantly. "
Or so I assume."
Sayaka's only response is another moan.
"
Good morning!" Madoka says, with perhaps a little less pep in her tone than you.
"
Good morning, everyone," Mami says, smiling at you as she forks up a piece of her pancake.
Homura's the last to respond, with a toneless, "
Good morning."
"
So, how's everyone?" you ask, smiling as you feed a piece of pancake into your mouth, letting the fragrant, fluffy slice melt in your mouth, flavours of syrup and butter mixing, tempered by the pliable, absorbent pancake.
"
Ah, I'm waiting for breakfast now! Papa's frying sausages and eggs this morning!" Madoka says, cheer in her voice.
"
That sounds delicious," Mami says.
"
It is!" Madoka says. "
How about you, Sayaka?"
"
Cereal," the bleunette grumbles. "
We're not morning people."
You chuckle under your breath, grinning at Mami. She shakes her head, unable to hide a fond smile.
"
Oh, hey, Sayaka, I just remembered," you say, cocking your head slightly. "
About Kyousuke. We might try to finish off his healing sometime today. Would you prefer me to wait until we can all go as a group again?"
"
Um," Sayaka says, clearly befuddled. "
Uh, I think... um, I want to be there?"
"
Alright, then," you say, taking the opportunity to eat more of the pancake.
"
Um. Thanks again, Sabrina, Mami. Thanks, Homura. I... I'll see you all soon?" Sayaka says, her voice still fuzzy from sleep. "
's too early for this."
"
Yep," you agree. "
Later!"
"
See you soon!" Madoka says.
And finally... "
See you," Homura says, voice as quiet and neutral as ever.
Mami echoes the goodbyes, smiling at you as she does so. Breakfast rolls by with the clink of cutlery and quiet conversation. Half an hour later finds you and Mami strolling down the street, threading the sparse early morning crowds and headed to Mitakihara Middle School. Mami walks close at your side, her school bag hanging over the far shoulder.
You smile, breathing in the crisp morning air. "Hey, Mami?" you say. "I need to make a phone call, OK? To Megane."
Mami nods. "Alright," she agrees.
The phone rings a few times before it's picked up. "Hello, Ono Megane speaking," the girl's voice replies.
"Good morning, Miss Ono," you say, tone carefully polite. "This is Sabrina."
"Good morning, Miss Sabrina," she says, pausing and evidently waiting for you to continue.
"How are you doing?" you ask. "And have you used the Grief Seed?"
"I'm doing acceptably," Megane replies. "And yes, I have, this morning," she says. "One use, so far. Do you want it back?"
"No, that's fine," you say as you and Mami turn into the path to school, the lush vegetation a welcome shield from the slowly rising bustle of Mitakihara waking up. "I meant it when I said that everyone should have at least one."
"Very well," Megane says.
"Mami! Sabrina!" a voice calls from behind you. You look up, and spot Madoka and Sayaka waving at you from up ahead. Homura's also there, standing beside Madoka in her customary pool of silence. You wave back, and then point at the phone held to your ear. Sayaka nods, and makes a zipping motion over her mouth with her hand as you and Mami walk over to join them.
"Excellent. So, where and when would you like to meet?" you ask into the phone.
"Would just after school be acceptable?" Megane replies.
You purse your lips in consideration. Well, it's not like you didn't forsee
this scheduling clash, but it's still annoying. Healing Kyousuke, meeting Megane... It's not like you can't juggle one or the other around, but still.
[] Write-in
=====
And here begins Book 2, chapter 3: Our Benefactor.
